Sloops could be fitted rapidly for depth charges

Were sloops designed to receive weapons they did not carry in peacetime?

Yes. Depth charges could be added quickly even when a sloop had not carried them initially, while treaty rules continued to bar torpedo launchers.

Sloops were designed for wartime growth even when every weapon was not fitted in peacetime. London Treaty rules barred torpedo launchers on unrestricted sloop-tonnage designs, but depth charges did not fall under the same prohibition. Vessels that entered service without depth charges acquired them quickly. This provision helped convert peacetime presence or survey capacity into anti-submarine escort capability without requiring an entirely new hull.